Treasures From The Heart

Photos Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise
Soundstripe composed by Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com

Treasures From The Heart floral design and gift store in Pineland is the epicenter of a pre-Valentine's Day rush on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008. The building has been home for many businesses over the years including churches, a clothing store, an auto parts store, a mortuary and its current incarnation as a floral design and gift store.

People in the images include: &nbsp Truitta Short, Rachael Foster, Mandy Hardy, Erica Barlow, constable Jerry Dan Webb and Buel Puryear with Roderick of Texas Floral of Lufkin.

Originally linked to, "Florist occupies Pineland building..." by Jemimah Noonoo.

Columbia disaster 5th anniversary

Photos and video by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Hemphill School freshman Adam Nixon plays "Taps" during the 5th anniversary ceremony of the Columbia space shuttle disaster in Hemphill on Friday, Feb. 1, 2008. Seven astronauts died when the space shuttle Columbia broke apart over East Texas in 2003.


Sabine County Memorial Committee co-chairs Marsha Cooper (left) and Belinda Gay (right) talk about moving forward during the 5th anniversary ceremony of the Columbia space shuttle disaster at the Hemphill School.



Please see Shuttle recovery helpers while NASA prepared to resume space shuttle flights. Please also read, "Dreams, not debris..." by Jemimah Noonoo.

Texas FM-1

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

A truck hauls a logging tractor along Texas FM-1 in Sabine County on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006. The state's first farm-to-market road was paved by the state at the urging of area industries.


Sheena Williamson, 15, mows the easement by her home in Bronson, Texas as a lumber truck passes.


Pineland Route 1 carrier Sandra Creech delivers mail on Texas FM-1 in Sabine County. The road was designated as Texas FM-1 on April 23, 1941.


A log truck moves from a dirt road onto Texas FM-1. The winding road travels through former lumber towns, pine forests and farmland.


A log truck turns onto Texas FM-1 in Sabine County. The state continues to maintain the road.


A log truck passes under a railroad tressel near Pineland, Texas on Texas FM-1. Temple Lumber Co. and two gas companies initially convinced the state to pave the road and keep their trucks from being stuck in the mud.


A log truck moves along a long stretch of Texas FM-1 in Sabine County. FM-1 successfully freed farmers from muddy roads and spread the concept throughout the state.

Please read "FM 1 in East Texas piney woods is the original country road" by F.A. Krift.
 

Shuttle recovery helpers

(Left) A marker remains on Beckcom Road in Hemphill. It is near the location where the remains of Kalpana Chawla were found after the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas.

The original marker was placed there by Roger Coday. He and his brother Frank Coday were the first to identify the remains as human according to some reports.

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

(Right) Belinda (top) and Roger Gay (bottom) take a break from work at Fat Fred's Restaurant and gas station in Hemphill on Thursday, July 7, 2005. They helped organize the community to assist the Columbia space shuttle recovery workers. They will attend the next shuttle launch in Florida on Wednesday.


(Above) Belinda Gay wears her space shuttle pins each day at Fat Fred's Restaurant and gas station. She helped organize the community to provide food and lodging for recovery workers.

(Below) Clark Barnett talks with Belinda Gay at Fat Fred's Restaurant. Barnett was one of the first people to find the remains of astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman in space, while he drove to the hardware store.




Robert and Belinda Gay; Marsha Cooper of the US Forest Service; Billy Ted Smith, emergency management coordinator for Sabine, Newton and Jasper counties; and Fred Raney, pastor of the First Baptist Church, were invited to Cape Canaveral, Fla. to watch the launch on July 13, 2005.



(Above) Sections of the planned memorial are on display at the Hemphill Chamber of Commerce in Hemphill. The space shuttle mission was canceled on Wednesday, July 13 while many Hemphill residents were in Cape Canaveral, Fla.



(Right) Hemphill Chamber of Commerce executive vice president Faye Broadway (left) listens to board member Rhoda W. Berry (right) talk about the time following the disaster at the chamber office in Hemphill.



(Above) Belinda Gay (right) wipes away a tear as she and Marsha Cooper of the US Forest Service (left) watch televised coverage of the space shuttle Discovery launch at the VFW Post in Hemphill on Tuesday, July 26, 2005. The VFW Post had been the recovery command center when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over East Texas.

Both Gay and Cooper were invited and attended the scheduled launch earlier this month at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. When the first launch attempt was canceled, they decided to watch the launch and gain some closure together in Hemphill.



(Above) Ray Broadway (from left to right) shakes hands with Tony Alexander as Faye Broadway, police chief Roger McBride and Belinda Gay relax after watching the safe launch of space shuttle Discovery at the VFW Post in Hemphill.

The VFW Post served as the recovery command center when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over East Texas. Alexander was the commander of VFW district 19 during the tragedy and was on the first recovery search team.

For more information, please see NASA's Web site.
Enough for now,